This invention relates to a hamper for storing and transporting clothes, specifically to such laundry hampers, bags, and baskets which are used for carrying or transporting soiled clothes from one location (e.g., upstairs bathroom) to another location in the house (e.g., the laundry room in the basement) or other laundry establishment. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved laundry hamper with features which allows the hamper assembly to expand and resemble a polygon-shaped ball.
Hampers in general, and laundry hampers in particular, are available in a great variety of types and designs. One type of hamper comprises a container, often constructed of wicker or plastic that forms a storage chamber for soiled clothing. Such hampers ordinarily have a top closure or cover that is attached to the container and serves to shut the container when it is not in use. This type of hamper is either too heavy or bulky to carry. Soiled clothing that have accumulated within the hamper must periodically be transferred to a basket or other transport means, which is then carried to the washing machine which is in another location of the house. An example of a clothes hamper of this type is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. D412,229. A similar type hamper includes a handle and wheels to facilitate transport to the laundry room. However, this type still needs to be held or carried down the stairs. An example of a hamper of this type is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. D413,099.
Another type of hamper consists of a fabric bag that is supported upon an external frame or stand. The external frame may consist of a base and four or more leg members of equal height to support a fabric bag such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,975. Other hampers employ support rods that extend vertically from the corners of a rectangular base. A fabric bag is held in an open, upright position by folding the bag over the ends of the support rods. Other hampers employ a support frame arranged as a pair of scissors-type linkages with cross arms at the frame top to support a fabric laundry bag in an upright and open attitude. An example of such hamper arrangements is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,646,802 and 5,507,577. The problem with these types of hampers is that they also have to be carried when full to the laundry room, and are either too bulky or heavy for most people.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lightweight and expandable hamper assembly that can be reshaped from a cylindrical to a polygon shape in order to solve a previously unrecognized problem of having to carry the full hamper or having to transfer the soiled clothing to a laundry basket or bag for transporting to the laundry room in another part of the house.